The present invention relates generally to a highway sign for temporary use along a roadway, and more particularly to an improved collapsible highway sign assembly and a method for deploying and storing such an assembly, such as may be used to provide warning messages and traffic control directions to motorists during highway construction.
Other collapsible highway sign assemblies have been used in the past to display a legend, such as warning messages and traffic control directions to motorists during road construction and the like. One known system uses a cross brace assembly having two arms pivotally connected together. A flexible sign sheet has a front surface with a message printed thereon and a back surface. The sign sheet includes four pockets on the back surface each for receiving one end of the cross brace arms. To assemble the sign sheet to the cross brace, a first end of one arm is placed in one of the pockets, and this end is then typically placed on the ground or paved roadway. In this position, the arm is then bowed by forcing the first end toward the ground or roadway until the second end is received by a second pocket of the sign sheet. These steps are repeated to attach the remaining two sign sheet pockets to the other arm of the cross brace assembly. This procedure is reversed to remove the sign sheet from the cross brace assembly. Thus, during both assembly and disassembly, two of the sign sheet pockets are disadvantageously subject to abrasive wear between the end of the cross brace arm inserted therein, and the roadway or ground against which the arm is forced during the bending or bowing step.
A typical problem encountered using such known road signs is referred to as "kiting." During this kiting phenomenon, the large surface area of the sign sheet billows when hit by a hard wind. This repeated billowing action causes the ends of the cross brace arms to disadvantageously further wear the sign sheet pockets. Furthermore, extremely strong winds may actually cause some signs to disadvantageously rotate, and no longer be readily visible to oncoming motorists.
To assist in drawing a motorists attention to a highway sign, a pair of flags is typically mounted to the uppermost portion of the upright sign support, with the flags extending upwardly and outwardly away therefrom. It is particularly important that the flags maintain a position above the sign, not only to draw attention to the sign, but to prevent the flags from obscuring any portion of the sign message or legend. Earlier known flag deployment devices included a mechanical lock to secure the flags in their upright display positions. Such mechanical locks and clips are often of metal, and disadvantageously subject to metal fatigue failures from repeated usages. Furthermore, these mechanical flag locking devices often are clogged by ice, dirt and debris, leaving the flags disadvantageously locked in an open position, or unusable if locked in a closed position. When locked in an open position, the extended flag staffs are often subject to damage, during removal, storage or transportation to a new job site.
Thus, a need exists for an improved highway sign, and an improved method of deploying such a highway sign, such as may be used for temporary sign installations associated with road construction and the like, which is directed toward overcoming, and is not susceptible to, the above limitations and disadvantages.